I love this clever use of a chest with 9 drawers as a double vanity. I found this photo on my PC up on the third floor and I don't know the source. It's something I've been saving for a long time and it's perfect for posting since we all are loving lots of drawers lately.

Monday, August 20, 2012

An antiquarian print from my flat files. I'm not sure if this is still in there or if I sold it and I'm too lazy to look. I just love the spelling of the word blue (blew), don't you? A hand-colored folio engraving from 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands' Published in London 1731-43
I digitally cropped the photo at the plate line so the huge margins wouldn't interfere with your being able to see the image of the bird and plant clearly. This is a very high quality hand-colored reproduction. my photo

I have marble countertops in my kitchen and they don't look like this. Did they ever? Maybe for the first day and thereafter they showed every water spot and more. Their real enemy is lemon juice. You don't want to know what that does to marble. The acid etches it!! Luckily over time the patina evens out if you use your kitchen a lot. I love the way this 'virgin' kitchen looks. I never sealed my countertops and my marble was honed. I've read lots of articles that say even the sealing doesn't help. I just tell myself mine is a 1920s kitchen. Would I use marble again? I'm not sure. Have you had a similar experience? photo

This is my kitchen counter snapped with my iPhone just a few minutes ago. The light from the window over the sink highlights many of my spots and the overhead spotlight is shining on the lemon juice spots that are etched in the marble on the edge over the dishwasher. See what I mean? Overhead reflections really show up the spots. That's why I almost never turn on my under the counter lights.

Here is another great chest with lots of drawers. I'm beginning to think every home needs one based on the response I got from a multi-drawer chest I featured recently. Do you prefer drawers or cubbies?
Have a great weekend. We had rain all night but it stopped before I got up this morning. It is cooler too. See you later.

Here is that photo I was looking for but couldn't find until a reader told me she was sure I saw it on page 79 of the July-August 2012 issue of Country Living magazine. She was right and it was on my coffee table. Doesn't this baby Aga look great?

I had one of the best vacations I've ever had when I took a two week photography workshop on Martha's Vineyard in the late 1970s. I rented a tiny cottage in Menemsha called The Paint Box and I drove there all by myself from New Jersey with 2 dogs and a cat. We almost missed the ferry too. It was so much fun. I like the Vineyard better than Nantucket because of the variety. The towns are so diverse! Which of those islands off Cape Cod do you prefer?

I saw a photo of a baby Aga in a cream color in a lovely kitchen recently and could never locate it again. I did a google image search and found some wonderful information over at Apartment Therapy. This tiny baby range or cooker is made to supplement a larger Aga but the Aga Companion can also be used alone. This baby has already been weaned! At only 24" wide, the Companion is the perfect stove for a small apartment or cottage, yet it still has two ovens and four burners. They're made of cast iron and available in 15 different colors from dark chocolate brown to a bright and vivid turquoise.

I often blog about these Aga cookers to great response. I think this is the best thing I've read about in ages, don't you? It's dual fuel too. I want this baby!!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I wish I could read the name of the city. This has got to be one of the earliest bookmobiles ever, right? It's so nice to see the children are more interested in checking out books than sliding down the slide.UPDATE: It's circa 1917 somewhere in Minnesota. Found here.

I love the look in this particular kitchen. The cutout shelf supports are very nice as are the dishes. I have open shelves in my pantry and there are two windows in the room. Thank goodness it isn't a place that is often viewed close up because the dust is pretty deep in there. via

Webster and I are up way too early this morning because I have real estate appointments at my new listing. I took this thistle photo yesterday and it's looking pretty dayglo to my sleepy eyes this morning. I've always liked these giant weeds and the birds go wild over them when they go to seed. Enjoy this August weekend. I just looked at my calendar and saw that Labor day is very early this year...just three weekends away. Slow down August, I have so much to do before you are over. That's an order.

Friday, August 10, 2012

The wonder dog's face is rather washed out because the sun was shining on it in the late afternoon. We were both enjoying the coolness after the rain. I washed the insides of my windowsills while it was pouring and they smell so nice and fresh with the windows open. Goodnight from the cottage. See you tomorrow.

I love this room with the built-in chimney cupboard. I am posting this delightful image for those of you that are not sweltering in a summer climate. It must be cold somewhere, right? This raised hearth is perfect for dining. via

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

‘Little Sparta’ a garden created by the collaboration of poet and artist, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Sue Finley, his wife. Based on the idea that a garden is a place for poetry, philosophy, and political thought, words are carved on stone and wood, etc. throughout the garden. It is thought by some to be Scotland’s greatest contemporary work of art. Located near Edinburgh in Dunsyre. source